Mitigate

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm Head of Business development office at Food Union Europe, that is one of the largest dairy and ice cream producing companies in Europe.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire MAK IT, and what were your goals?

One of the services we provide in Norway and Denmark is ice cream delivery to customer's doorsteps. Our goal of the project was to improve customer service through all digital channels and increase number of repeated purchases, and on the operations side improve delivery slot availability, trip efficiency and automate planning processes.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We had multiple rounds of negotiations with different suppliers, amongst which MAK IT definitely wasn't the cheapest option, however their performance at proof of concept stage and overall attitude to details, investment in research phase and extensive experience convinced us.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

First of all we had to research the current situation and form the business requirements. Then we plotted the technical solution for new route planning solution, designed UI&UX and started working on the implementation.

MAK IT offered to develop this solution in an agile style that was the most suitable for us. With many iterations we have created:

• Advanced route planning solution
• Depot administration solution
• End-client ordering web application
• Mobile application with turn-by-turn navigation for couriers

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We had 1 business analyst, 2 backend developers, 1 mobile developer and 1 UI/UX specialist.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

By improving performance of routes we have noticeably increased ice cream sales (number of customers and avg order size), additionally saving my hours of manual planning and un-needed km driven.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The project was led in a very clear and transparent manner, meeting both time milestones within the agreed budget. It was a pleasure to work with such an experienced team, being there for any consultations and brainstorming sessions. Enough of flexibility was included, sometimes allowing us to change priorities based on current market situation, that definitely was a game changer.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

MAK IT is not just a solution enabler — they are a true digital partner. This is definitely something that I am grateful for. We see even more successful projects ahead built together.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

As any relationship it requires both parties to build a successful one. Both parties definitely made some mistakes down the line, but I don't see anything that could be done fundamentally differently.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the CEO of an it services company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

A software quality assurance company helping start-ups and Fortune 500 companies worldwide to enhance their products by providing a wide range of testing services, custom tools and even leading internal teams.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Mitigate to accomplish?

• Creating iOS/Android applications for a joint project

SOLUTION

How did you find Mitigate?

Referral

Why did you select Mitigate over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Mitigate were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

end-to-end mobile application development for iOS/Android platforms, including designing the architecture for complex mobile applications, developing the backend, and overseeing UX/UI design

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Timely delivery of IOS/Android mobile applications
• UX/UI design
• Backend solution 

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Through an Agile-based process, with regular updates, proactive risk management, and a well-defined project plan

What was your primary form of communication with Mitigate?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They offered strong domain knowledge and excellent project management skills, as well as aligned cultural values and outstanding communication

Are there any areas for improvement or something Mitigate could have done differently?

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Partner of Zeta Industry

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Zeta Industry is the developer and integrator of Austra - a digital platform for industrial businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Mitigate to accomplish?

• Partner for developing our products

SOLUTION

How did you find Mitigate?

Referral

Why did you select Mitigate over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Mitigate were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We commission Mitigate to advance our key product Austra and assist in platform customisation projects for clients. Typical scope of work include development of new platform modules and features, for example, planning and scheduling interfaces and algorithms, resource and material optimisation tools, complex integrations with other platforms, like CAD, MES, and others.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Being able to successfully commercialise the solution - sell in new markets and industries.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Keeping focus on key goals while allowing flexibility when planning shorter iterations.

What was your primary form of communication with Mitigate?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Communication and tech expertise.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Mitigate could have done differently?

We are satisfied with the services offered.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the International project development manager of HRX group

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Logistics

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Mitigate to accomplish?

• New product IT development

SOLUTION

How did you find Mitigate?

Referral

Why did you select Mitigate over others?

They provided good value for the cost of the development, Referred to me, Company values aligned

What was the size of Mitigate’s team?

40

What was your primary form of communication with Mitigate?

In-Person Meeting, Email or Messaging App

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Create new IT e-commerce logistic development from the beginning and regular upgrade.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Ready made working logistic IT system
• Fast and flexible reaction to problems and upgrades

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Yes, very fast and flexible reaction, high competence and skills

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

High skills and competence in business needs and how to forward it to IT

Are there any areas for improvement or something Mitigate could have done differently?

Sometimes be more flexible in paperwork.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

LMT is one of the largest ICT companies in Latvia. I'm a senior product manager working with business customers developing SaaS and custom IT solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire MAK IT, and what were your goals?

We formed a cooperation with MAK IT as our technology partner to build a high quality time tracking service. In the initial phase of the project it was crucial for our partner to be agile and flexible in order to bring a working prototype to the market as soon as possible.

SOLUTION

How did you select MAK IT and what were the deciding factors?

One of the key factors for our choice was our previous experience with MAK IT during which they proved to be a flexible, goal-oriented, friendly and incredibly skillful team. However, the previous cooperation wasn't the sole reason we chose MAK IT - their pricing and portfolio were very competitive among other vendors.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

The project was split in 3 parts: Initial prototype - web admin panel, API and Android/iOS mobile application development and getting the product to the market ASAP. Redesign - complete rewrite of the mobile application and admin panel according to freshly developed design.  Further development and maintenance - new feature implementation (both small and large ones), and the tweaking of existing features.

Key deliverables included iOS and Android mobile application, full stack web application with admin panel for managing and analyzing data, API for the mobile applications, integrations with third party devices - fingerprint and NFC readers. As for the technologies used, in web development (API, admin panel) Ruby on Rails, PostgreSQL and React were used. React Native was used for the mobile application.

How many people from the MAK IT team worked with you, and what were their positions?

The team's size varied throughout the project's phases from 2 to 7 people: lead developer and project manager - we never had a need for dedicated project manager, as that role was split across product manager and lead developer. software developers • 1 QA specialist • 2 designers during the redesign phase and on request throughout the project's lifetime.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The developed system is the leading time tracking application that complies with construction law in place in Latvia. Actively used and appreciated by the largest construction companies (and also companies from other industries) in the country.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The project was led in a flexible, yet coordinated and orderly manner based on the best SCRUM practices. The developers are self organized and follow all the best practices when it comes to working in a team, which eliminates the need for a dedicated project manager, which in turn, leads to less management overhead, closer cooperation between devs and business, thus better understanding of the product.

In daily communication we use Slack, MS Teams, JIRA, Github and e-mails.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

How involved and responsible each person in the team is, how much the company's leadership cares not only for its employees, but also for the customers. We've had several team building events which helped to build closer relationships, and I think it's very important to have good relationships between the team - both for the project's success and also it's a lot more fun if you can have casual chats and joke around with everyone in your daily tasks.

In addition to that, the team is professional and able to come up with robust technical solutions for the wildest ideas and problems.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Nothing to add.